Ramchandra Srinivas Siras (1948 – 7 April 2010) was an Indian

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Lingui ...

and author. He was a professor at the

Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a Public University, public Central University (India), central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Orie ...

specializing in

Marathi literature Marathi literature is the body of literature of Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in the Indian state of Maharashtra and written in the Devanagari and Modi script. History Ancient Era Maharashtri Prakrit was the southern Prakrit t ...

and head of the Department of Modern Indian Languages. The film ''

Aligarh Aligarh (; formerly known as Allygarh, and Kol) is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Aligarh district, and lies northwest of state capital Lucknow and approximately southeast of the capit ...

'', directed by

Hansal Mehta Hansal Mehta (born 29 April 1968) is an Indian filmmaker. He started his career with television show ''Khana Khazana'' (1993–2000) and later moved on to directing films like '' Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar!!'' (2000), '' Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai?'' (2002) a ...

, is based on his life.

Life

After school in Nagpur, Siras studied

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

and

linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Lingu ...

Nagpur University Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU), formerly Nagpur University, is a public state university located in Nagpur, Maharashtra. It is one of India's oldest universities, as well as the second oldest in Maharashtra. It is named ...

in India. In 1985 he got his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' ...

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

and a

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in psychology. He finished university studies and became a professor at

(AMU) in 1988.Times of India:Gay prof was known as a literary genius
/ref> Siras suffered from fits at a young age and was advised against marriage. When considered cured of the condition later in life he was married. The marriage lasted for nearly 20 years but ended in divorce after a long separation. He wrote several short stories in the Marathi language. In 2002, he received the literary award from Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad for ''"Paya Khalchi Hirawal"'' (Grass under my feet).

Suspension

On 8 February 2010, two men forced their way into Siras' house and caught him having consensual sex with another man. On 9 February 2010, Siras was suspended by AMU for "

gross misconduct ''Gross Misconduct'' is the second album from crossover thrash metal band, M.O.D. It was released in 1989 on Megaforce Records and Noise Records (Germany), Noise International and follows 1988's extended play ''Surfin' M.O.D.'' It was three year ...

" after having been ambushed by a local TV channel's camera crew, while having sex with a

rickshaw A rickshaw originally denoted a two- or three-wheeled passenger cart, now known as a pulled rickshaw, which is generally pulled by one person carrying one passenger. The first known use of the term was in 1879. Over time, cycle rickshaws (also ...

puller. The AMU public relations officer, Rahat Abrar, stated: "Siras was captured on camera having sex with a rickshaw-puller. He was placed under suspension by the order of the vice-chancellor, professor P. K. Abdul Aziz". He won his case against the university in

Allahabad High Court Allahabad High Court, also known as High Court of Judicature at Allahabad is the high court based in Prayagraj that has jurisdiction over the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It was established on 17 March 1866, making it one of the oldest hig ...

on 1 April 2010, and got back his job as professor, along with his accommodation, until his retirement. The case was exacerbated by the involvement of students in the covert taping and ambush of Siras and his lover. The case was fought on the premise that Siras could not be penalised for being homosexual as

Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code Section 377 of the British colonial penal code criminalized all sexual acts "against the order of nature". The law was used to prosecute people engaging in oral and anal sex along with homosexual activity. The penal code remains in many forme ...

, which criminalized homosexuality, had been declared unconstitutional by the

Delhi High Court The High Court of Delhi (IAST: ''dillī uchcha nyāyālaya'') was established on 31 October 1966, through the ''Delhi High Court Act, 1966'', with four judges, Chief Justice K. S. Hegde, Justice I. D. Dua, Justice H. R. Khanna and Justice S. ...

in 2009.

Death

On 7 April 2010, Siras died in his apartment in Aligarh. Police suspected suicide, and preliminary results from the autopsy showed traces of poison in his body. A case of murder was later registered and six people arrested. On 19 April, the Superintendent of Police stated that three journalists and four AMU officials were named as part of the crime. The case was closed without resolution after the police failed to find sufficient evidence. Siras was due to retire officially from academia six months later, and the letter officially revoking his suspension arrived at his office the day after his death.

Works

* Several short stories in the Marathi language. * Award-winning book of Marathi poems, Grass Under My Feet (2002)

Awards

* 2002: literary award by '' Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad''.

In popular culture

Manoj Bajpayee Manoj Bajpayee (born 23 April 1969), also transliterated as Manoj Bajpai, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi cinema and has also done Telugu and Tamil language films. Regarded as one of the finest actors of Hindi cinema, he ...

portrayed him in his biopic titled ''

''. The film received warm reviews from the critics and Bajpayee went on to win several accolades for his performance.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Siras, Ramchandra 20th-century Indian linguists Marathi-language writers Indian gay writers Indian LGBT rights activists Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University alumni Academic staff of Aligarh Muslim University 1948 births 2010 deaths Scholars from Maharashtra Indian LGBT scientists 20th-century Indian short story writers Writers from Maharashtra 20th-century Indian male writers Gay academics Gay scientists Deaths by poisoning